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24th November 2023

Old Master Hen Hits the Spot in Premium Ale Gifting this Christmas

Having made its debut earlier this year as a limited-edition brew, Old Master Hen, will be returning to shelves as the luxury gift for ale lovers this festive season.

Greene King, brewers of the Old Speckled Hen family, spotted a gap in the gifting sector last year for ale drinkers who enjoy a premium beer and are looking for that indulgent presentation of the product. Old Master Hen taps into the elevated gifting arena with its bespoke packaging that also celebrates the artistic nature of crafting a beer.

Old Master Hen is brewed at 7% ABV and is bottled conditioned to mature with age. The ale is described as strong and full-bodied, with a deep amber colour, masses of characteristic toffee and fruit, notes of citrus orange, and traditional English hop bitterness.

Using the, nowadays, rarer process of bottle-conditioning, this allows for the beer to ferment further in the bottle and bring out deeper characters in the flavours of Old Master Hen as time goes by, perfect for ale drinkers who love to collect and savour their beer.

David Spencer, Head of Marketing for the Old Speckled Hen family, said: “From the offset we had a clear vision for this beer, which was to provide a gift that traditional ale drinkers could treasure. True ale lovers enjoy the theatre and art of brewing beer and Old Master Hen celebrates this in every way, from the ingredients used, to the thought behind the premium packaging.

“We launched the beer for the first time for Father’s Day this year and it was an incredible hit. We’re excited to be sharing the gift in more retailers ahead of Christmas and filling that premium ale gifting spot.”

Old Master Hen is available to purchase, RRP £7, in selected Asda stores across the UK, from now until January. For more information on Old Master Hen go to: https://www.greeneking.co.uk/our-beers/old-speckled-hen/old-master-hen.

-ENDS-

For more information, or any other media enquiries please contact hollysmith@greeneking.co.uk

Notes to editors

About Greene King:

Greene King is the country’s leading pub company and brewer with c.2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland.

At Greene King we are passionate about delivering our purpose to ‘pour happiness into lives’. That’s for our customers, our team, our pub partners, our suppliers and the communities in which we live, operate and serve. Founded in 1799 with offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton on Trent in Staffordshire we employ around 39,000 people across the group with four divisions: Greene King pubs, Destination Brands, Partnership and Ventures, and Brewing & Brands.

  • Greene King pubs are located where people and communities come together; pubs enjoyed in cities, towns and villages throughout the country
  • Destination Brands is a mixture of food and drink-led brands including Hungry Horse, Farmhouse Inns, Chef & Brewer, Wacky Warehouse, and Pub & Carvery, Pub & Dining and Pub & Grill
  • Partnerships & Ventures includes Pub Partners, which runs our tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive Franchise pubs, and our Ventures Brands which is made up of Metropolitan Pub Company, Hickory’s, Hotels Group and Crafted Pubs
  • Brewing & Brands covers the brewing sides of the business. Quality ales are brewed at the Westgate brewery in Bury St Edmunds and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. Our industry-leading portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Ice Breaker and Belhaven Best and our premium beers, Level Head and Flint Eye, brewed for the modern-day drinker.

For more information, or any other media enquiries please contact hollysmith@greeneking.co.uk

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